


Warning Sign of Things to Come

by atinylemon



Category: Twin Peaks
Genre: Gen, Twin Peaks The Return
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 09:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20504705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atinylemon/pseuds/atinylemon
Summary: "Richard" and Carrie Page go on a road trip to Twin Peaks but the Lodge may have other ideas.





	Warning Sign of Things to Come

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kamil-A](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Kamil-A).

> A gift for @Kamil-A on Tumblr for the Wonderful X Strange Fanworks exchange.  
They requested a Richard!Coop & Carrie Page road trip with some eerie signage happenings.  
What an excellent prompt! Thank you for the opportunity to think about these two a bit.  
_  
This whole trip is mappable and fairly time accurate (hopefully), so you can check out some of the places these two ended up. I say fairly cause...I don't know how timezones work when you're in motion. What is time really? Anyway enjoy!

**Tatum, New Mexico - 11:55am**

**Allsup Convenience Store**

**4 E Broadway St, Tatum, New Mexico 88267**

The world felt like a mirage, a cruel trick on a weary traveler. Dale Cooper, who was not quite Dale Cooper, eyed the building he was parked outside of, with suspicion. 

“Above a convenience store,” he muttered. By all rights, it was a fairly standard spot complete with signs advertising off-brand slushies and overpriced cigarettes on the floor to ceiling windows. A stop had been requested, and while it seemed like their trip could be fueled by his determination alone, Dale could not deny the needs of his passenger. After all, if it weren’t for the conspicuously dead man resting comfortably on her couch, he wasn’t sure she would have consented to begin with. This would probably be the first accommodation of many. 

The car door squealed as it pulled opened and a woman who was not Laura Palmer peaked in.

“Here,” packets of sugar and little drums of cream tumbled out of Carrie Page’s fingers and onto the middle console of a different car than the one he was driving just the night before. 

“I didn’t know how you took it.” 

Dale reached for the coffee he did not request but was thankful to have. He wasn’t tired necessarily, but the sign upon entering the town seemed to say “Warning Turn Back.” That couldn’t be right. Apparently, it said, “Welcome to Tatum New Mexico, Est 1909.” 

Coffee would help.

“Black is fine.”

Carrie made a face.

“...but I appreciate the thought.”

She sighed and finished arranging her purchases in the front seat. 

“Yeah, I’m real considerate, you should see me at the diner. Don’t know how anyone drinks it like that. Not even truckers.” 

She fought to place a plastic cup with the words TALLSUP written on them into the cupholder, then eyed Cooper.

“Then again, you seem like the type.”

“What’s this?”

“Diet Pepsi. It was on sale, 32oz and a burrito for $3.00, I figured I should try to stay awake, make sure you keep your eyes on the road. Green chile and cheese.”

“What?”

”The burrito. Oh I didn’t even ask if you wanted one, well I got other snacks we should be good for a while. I mean, you can have a bite of mine I guess, I don’t care about cooties.”

“That’s-”

“Hey, I saw a sign out there, said Roswell. Are we going that way?”

“I believe so.”

“I wanna stop there.”

“Lau-” Dale caught himself, “Ms. Paige, we’ve just stopped.”

“Ms. Paige. Would you just call me Carrie? Look this is the closest thing to a trip I’ve been on since I was five, can you just work with me here Mr. Cooper?”

“Agent Cooper...you can just call me Dale.”

“See you don’t like it either. Well, Coop, it’s gonna be lunch soon and we gotta eat somewhere.”

“You’re eating a burrito right now. Green chile and cheese.”

“These are road snacks. You can’t just eat road snacks for meals. Then when there’s no place to stop you ain’t got no food. I will be eating at a table like a civilized lady and if we’re lucky that table will be alien-themed. If I am hungry when we get to Roswell, we will be stopping at THE MOST touristy place we see.”

  
  
  


**Roswell, New Mexico - 1pm**

**The Cowboy Cafe**

**1120 E Second St, Roswell, NM 88201**

“Welcome to the Cowboy Cafe, sit anywhere you like.” 

“Don’t pout,” Dale smirked as they walked to a modestly set table.

“I’m not.”

“You said-”

“I know what I said. How are there no alien restaurants in this whole town? Isn’t this place like, built by aliens?”

“There was an alien-themed McDonalds, we could-”

“I didn’t come to Roswell for no McDonalds.”

“You don’t like cowboys?”

“I live in Texas Coop, we have to like cowboys.” Carrie spun the salt shaker with her fingers idly, “Where are you from?”

“Pennsylvania...I think.”

“You think?” she held the shaker abruptly.

“It’s been a long day.”

“You’re telling me,” she muttered.

“Sorry to keep y’all waiting.”

The salt shaker spilled on to the table. 

“Bad luck hun.”

“I’m not sure if I believe in all that lately.”

“Well,” the waitress squeezed some salt between her fingers and tossed it over her shoulder, “The Devil’s not going to get me, no sir. Can’t risk it. Here are your menus! I’m Vickie and I’ll be serving you today. Anything to drink?”

“A black coffee,” Dale started.

“Really? More coffee?”

He stared at her blankly, “A root beer.”

“I’ll have a diet...” 

Dale quirked an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes.

“An apple juice I guess.”

“Well alright! I’ll give you two a minute and be right back with your drinks.”

Dale got up abruptly.

“Just order me a burger. It doesn’t matter what kind. I’m going to wash my hands.”

-

Compared to the warmth and wood panels of the rest of the restaurant, the bathroom was a buzzy teal with fluorescent lights. When Dale’s eyes adjusted, they settled on his face. He hadn’t had a chance to really look at himself since he got back. He had been avoiding it. Now he was curious and he took a moment for examination. There were wrinkles that had crept in on his face without him knowing and jowls outlined his mouth in the light. Everything felt a little loose, like a suit he had forgotten about, something he used to wear. He looked deeper, closer for something that shouldn’t be there, any hint of someone else, something lurking. Just pores and bags. He washed his hands.

-

“I got it medium rare is that ok?”

“That should be fine.”

“How is it in there?”

“Clean. A little too bright.”

“Guess there are worse things. So...where are we going again?”

“Twin Peaks, Washington.” 

“Right. Still nothing. What’s going to happen when we get there?” 

A grimace flickered over Dale’s face. He’d like to seem as though he were in control, he was confident this was the right thing, the necessary thing. Yet, what could he say when he was right in front of her? 

He looked into his root beer, “I’m not sure. Something important.” 

Carrie bit her lip and waited for him to meet her gaze again, “Well...guess it’d be nice to be part of something important.”

This was the first real smile she had seen out of him since they started. Of course, he had been driving so it was hard to tell. Still, it was almost reassuring that she wasn’t driving with a murderer. She wondered if he cared about any such reassurances. 

Instead, she asked him, “You think aliens are real Coop?”

“Aliens,” he considered this in a serious attentive way that Carrie was not used to. Nothing about it was dismissive. “I would have to say, based on some of the things I have seen, I would not rule it out.”

“What kind of things?”

“That’s classified.”

“C’mon.”

He stared at her for a minute, almost as though there was something beyond herself he was looking at.

“Nevermind, I guess if the FBI-”

“There are places in this world Carrie, that...are beyond most comprehension. Places where,” his jaw seemed to drawback, not quite in a frown but rather something Carrie read as disgust or fear, or both. While he had been looking at her direction the whole time, he suddenly came to focus on her person and sighed. 

“Do you know when a clock is low on battery, and the second-hand jolts forward slightly just to go back?”

“Yeah, I had a little watch I loved do that. I just got rid of it.”

“There are places here on earth just like that. Just like those moments in between seconds, that barely move at all, that are nearly frozen and yet imperceptibly moving forward. I don’t know that I believe in aliens, but I know there are things that are just beyond our line of sight and places that are endless and cannot be explained.” 

Carrie leaned forward as if it would help her understand before she could say anything, their waitress was next to them with their order:

The Mothership Burger - ½ Fresh Ground Angus Beef, grilled onion, 

cheese, hashbrowns, & a fried egg, with choice of chips or fries. $12.99

The Cowboy Boss - 10 Gallon Hat-sized- over 3lbs of fresh ground chuck spittin’ hot cheese (American & Pepper Jack), jalapeno bacon, roasted green chile, Black Betty’s BBQ sauce, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion rings, pickles, served with cowboy fries. $24.99 Not tough enough? Split it with yer pardner. 

Eat it in 60 minutes or less and it’s on us!

“Alright, here is your Mothership Burger with fries and your Cowboy Boss,” Vickie put a plate with a burger the size of an average pie with the image of a cowboy boot seared into the bun down in front of Dale and looked him up and down, “Good luck honey.”

“Thank you?”

“Arnie! Put 60 minutes on the clock!”

“Carrie, what is this?”

“You asked for a burger and said it did not matter what kind. Also, I was curious.”

45 Minutes later, people were finding reasons to swing by Dale’s table to check on his progress.

Carrie had mostly been telling him diner stories and chatting with the waitress occasionally about work and the breakfast rush. Dale focused on her voice, he never knew what Laura sounded like. He wondered how similar they actually were. It helped to have something to ground him, he had nearly forgotten how loud the world was. There were small things, the grill in the back, the screech of a chair on the wooden floor, the hum of a refrigerator, clips of conversations he couldn’t make out, even the noise of his own chewing, they were all happening simultaneously whereas before it was mostly silence and, only sometimes, screams. 

“Y’all need…” Vickie examined Dale’s nearly empty plate, “anything else?” 

“Vick, I think we’ll just be getting the check if that’s alright. He doesn’t have to eat that garnish for it to count right?” 

“Nope and we’ll be wanting a picture for the wall.”

“A picture?” Dale said with a mouthful of an onion ring.

“Yeah, I mean you’ve got 5 minutes left but you’re pretty much done so, you’re burger’s on us and we gotta put you up on our wall of fame. You’re a Cowboy Boss. See by the register? Got one of those fake polaroids.”

He swallowed, “That won’t be necessary.”

Carrie covered her mouth to hide the waves of amusement on her face, “C'mon be a good sport.” 

Vickie added a picture of a concerned-looking man in a suit and a very proud woman with dirty blonde hair and a cowboy hat leaning into him to a sea of polaroids. Their names were written under the photo, Richard and Laura.

  
  


Carrie pulled a french fry out of her to-go box as they walked to the car. 

“I thought your name was Dale.”

“It is.”

“Well…”

“It’s complicated.” 

They got back on to East 2nd Street and went past a yellow sign that said, “Right Way Home”. 

“Carrie, what did that sign say?”

“What? Oh, I think it said Right Lane Merges.”

“I think missed our turn, this is heading back to Odessa. Hang on.” 

He turned onto the next street and got back on the road going the opposite way. 

“You alright? That was a lot of meat.”

“I’ll be fine,” He said as he made a right on to the road that would take them to the only place Dale had considered making a home in his entire life. 

**Orem, Utah - 2am**

**Route 15, 45 miles south of Salt Lake City **

**Orem, UT 84058**

The road hummed underneath them. Before them, endless black. This was familiar to Dale. Sometimes he thought he nearly saw beyond the curtains, something moving, something white in the void. He could never be sure and he was never tempted to check.

Occasionally on the road, they saw eyes glow in the light of the car and disappear behind them. 

Carrie would say, “Deer!” whenever she saw them, it was half warning half excitement. 

Once she said, “I feel so bad for them. They’re so pretty. I hate seein’ em like that, y’know? Laid out on the road like that. Disrespectful somehow.”

Dale didn’t say anything.

“It’s not their fault. The world just keeps creeping closer and closer to their homes. 

I wonder if they’re scared all the time. I wonder if they just stop caring. Do the things they need to, to get by and hope they don’t die. I guess that’s what we all do. Hope we don’t die.”

Dale didn’t say anything.   
  


“It’s just a shame. They’re so beautiful.”

“Sometimes things are out of our personal control. It’s unfortunate. Unfortunate that we can’t always change things. Better to focus on the things we can.”

“I guess. Feels like nothing ever changes. Sometimes I just feel like I woke up in a heap of trouble and it just never stopped.”

“It won’t always be like that.” 

“How do you know?”

“I have...a feeling.”

“Well I have feelings about a lot of things, and none of them have served me all too well. Hopefully, yours is better than mine.”

Dale smiled to himself and ignored a cloudy green sign with white letters that said, “Wrong Way”. 

  
  
  


**Idaho Falls, Idaho - 5am**

**East Veterans Memorial Hwy Rt 15**

**Idaho Falls, ID 83404**

It was hard to tell when Carrie had fallen asleep; Dale hadn’t heard about a deer in miles. The in-between muddy blue of the morning rolled out ahead of them and would soon be broken up by the light. 

“Yellow…” Dale heard come from the passenger’s seat. 

“You’re awake?”

“Yellowstone...Yellowstone? Which one’s that?” Carrie shot up suddenly.

“It’s a National Park I believe.

“What’s all there? Is that the one with the geyser?” 

“Possibly.”

“We’re going to miss the exit. We need to turn.” She tapped the window. 

“Carrie this is not a field trip. I didn’t take you here to sightsee-”

“Then why  _ did  _ you take me here? Cause I look like some girl? Some girl I’ve never even heard of. You some kind of appointment in this Twin Peaks? A deadline we’re gonna miss?”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what this is, do you?”

Dale didn’t say anything. His throat was tight. 

“You keep saying this is important. You don’t even know.” 

“It’s important to me,” He said quietly.

“Well, maybe  _ this  _ is important to me. If I am this girl, does that count for anything?”

Dale thought about this for a minute and put his blinker on.

  
  


**Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - 7:30am**

**Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190**

Nothing was said on the ride into the park. 

Dale took his jacket off and folded it neatly, and left it on the seat. It felt good to move and stretch. Carrie left her jacket on and folded her arms around herself. She scrunched up her face.

“It’s the sulfur,” Dale said softly, “We may need your road snacks, I don’t know if we missed it or not.”

“Alright. Is it like the movies? Do I have to sneak em in?”

“I think we’re alright to bring them. Anyway, I have my badge. They don’t know it’s not a snack emergency,” he smiled at her meekly.

Begrudgingly, a smile muscled its way on to her lips and she dipped back into the car to decided what to bring. It was early enough that people were scattered among the benches in clusters. A sign had said the next eruption would be around 7:52. They would wait. 

“I wonder if anyone notices I’m gone,” Carrie spoke suddenly. 

“My boss maybe. I wonder if I need to find a job. I guess that’s the least of my worries really. Are you going to bring me back after all this?”

“I…I’m not sure. I suppose so. I’m sorry, you’re right I don’t know. I...don't know.”

“That’s ok. It’s not like I had a plan. Honestly, this is probably the best thing that could have happened.”

“I promise it will all make sense when we get there. Then we’ll figure out the rest.”

“Alright.”

“Do you want to talk about...your friend on the couch?” 

Carrie stared out at the rough earth in front of her as it smoked and gurgled expectantly. 

“Not really.”

“Is anyone special wondering where you are?”

“Not really.”

“Anyone special is...gone or I’m not sure, maybe they’ve forgotten about me. That’s probably better really.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. Nice guy like yourself. You seem hard to forget.”

“Thank you,” he said without looking at her. The geyser had begun to sputter and hiss. As much as Dale had seen, he was surprised he was still impressed with it. He looked over to see what Carrie thought. Her face was wet and emotionless. The rise and fall glimmer in her eyes but there’s no awe or disappointment. She almost looked like she was searching for something, a secret from deep in the earth, just for her, to make things right. Dale reached over and grabbed her hand and they watched the rest of the display in silence. After 3 minutes it was over. 

“Is that it?” she stood up before Dale to discreetly wipe at her face. 

“That’s it,” he stood up and gave his suit pants a brush with his hands, “Would you like to look around more?”

“We should probably go.” She watched the last of the water hiccup for a bit longer. 

No secrets here.

“How about breakfast?” he put a tentative hand on her shoulder. 

She finally turned to him and nodded.

“We’ll find somewhere to stop.”

**Missoula, Montana - 2:30pm**

**Ext 96 off Route 90, Missoula, MT 59808**

The car swerved suddenly and Carrie rocked forward. 

“Jesus! What?”

“I’m sorry, sorry. Sorry about that.”

“Was something in the road? Do I need to flip someone off? What happened?”

“I just - we’re making a stop.”

“I thought this wasn’t a field trip.” 

“Carrie, we’ve covered this; I don’t know  _ what _ this is. Are there any Combos left?” 

  
  


**Arlee, Montana - 2:50pm**

**Garden of One Thousand Buddhas, **

**34574 White Coyote Rd, Arlee, MT 59821**

The gravel crunched under their feet as they got out of the car. 

“Well, it sure is pretty but, where are we?”

“When I was,” Dale considered what he was. He used to be a lot of things. 

“When I was younger, I had a great interest in the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism. It has been some time since I’ve really considered what that means. I’d like to take a moment here, if that’s alright.”

“Not like I’m in a rush to get anywhere.”

“Are you sure? I’ll try to be quick but I don't know how long I’ll be. You could wait in the car if you like.”

“It’s fine, maybe I could use a little Buddhism in my life.”

Although the fixtures were completely outdoors, sound seemed to be swallowed up and aside from Dale’s deliberate footsteps, Carrie was surprised at how silent it had become. She had questions but she would wait until they returned to the car. Sometimes, she would stop and examine one of the titular thousand Buddhas, white and identical as the one before it. Then she would hear the sound of Dale’s footsteps slowly get pulled into the vacuum of sound and hurry after him. 

They finally came to a circular clearing. In the center a large colorful statue that was different than the rest. They walked around the circle once and ended back in front of the statue.

Finally, Dale spoke, “Let’s sit here for a moment,” and he gestured to a small red bench, just off-center from the statue. The ground here was concrete and now their steps almost seemed to echo. 

“I would like to meditate. You may join me if you like.”

“Kay, what do I do?”

“We are going to contemplate the emptiness of ourselves and reality, as well as conduct an investigation for truth.”

“We’re going to what?” 

“Just, try not to let any thoughts occupy your mind and focus on your experience.”

“Do I close my eyes?”

“It might help, but you don’t have to.”

Then he sighed and he was gone. 

Carrie closed her eyes and tried to “focus on her experience.”

Yesterday, she had been at home with her body riddled with pins and needles and a dead man on her couch. Today she was in a Zen garden with a stranger. This was her experience. 

She opened her eyes to take an unobstructed look at the man who had dragged her across the country. Dale looked asleep, deep in his “investigation”. He was handsome for someone who was at least 10 years her senior. She was surprised he wasn’t more grey. Maybe he dyed it, some men were vain like that. Maybe he was one of the lucky ones. Kept it all and the color too.

Her greys usually got lost among the blonde in her hair, but every now and again she got it colored to make herself feel like she wasn’t running out time. Her hands gave her away. She looked down at her fractal skin, soft and lined and unquestionably older looking than she’d like. She thought about her mother telling her to wear gloves when she did dishes or cleaned. She thought about her house, generally smelling of bleach and now probably, faintly of decay. She thought of a woman she did not know, Sarah. 

It made her body cold.

As quietly as she could she got up, folded her arms around herself, and walked toward the statue. It was at least as tall as two Carries. The main focus of the statue was in the form of a woman. She looked as serene as Dale did, almost sleeping on a cushion of lotuses, which admittedly, sounded nice. 

“She’s The Great Mother, Yum Chenmo. An embodiment of wisdom and compassion if I recall.”

Carrie hadn’t heard Dale walk up behind her. Something about him seemed more at ease, looser. He had taken off his jacket.

“Did I ruin your meditation? I’m sorry, I just needed to stretch my legs.”

“Carrie, it was perfect. I am very glad to have you here with me in whatever capacity you would like to enjoy this space. Very glad.” 

Even though something about this expression struck her as odd she said, “Me too actually.”

He walked closer to the statue.

“Behind her are the six perfections, virtues that can be cultivated reach enlightenment. One of them, you see it there, is a deer. It stands for harmony. A balancing of cause and effect.”

“Harmony huh? I think that’s real nice.” 

They walked around the circle again before returning to the car. 

**Newport, Washington - 7:30pm**

**Route 20, Newport, WA 99156**

There were lights and men and fog on the road. 

“Carrie, what does that sign say?”

“It says, I think you may need to get your eyes checked the way you keep asking me about these damn signs.”

“Please,” Dale took a breath, “I will consider it but for now if you could.”

“It says, detour.”

“Right.”

Dale drove up to a young police officer in a fluorescent vest. 

“Evening Officer, we need to get just beyond this road aways. Is it uncrossable?”

“Sorry, sir, my instructions are not to let anyone down that way. I’m not sure why.”

“I understand,” he flashed his badge, “Son, this is a matter regarding the FBI. If you’d like, you can get your superior but we  _ will _ be heading down that way. Shouldn’t be a problem, but I don’t have much time to wait. If you please.”

  
Dale gestured toward someone who looked like they were in charge. The officer walked off to have a discussion. 

“What if the road is out?” Carrie asked nervously with her head turned away from the driver side window.

“It’s not.”

“How do you-”

“It’s not,” he said firmly.

“Sir,” a larger man with a mustache and an exasperated look strolled up to Dale’s window, “Evening. What’s this my officer tells me about the FBI.”

Dale gave the man a lengthier look at his badge.

“I see,” he said a little sheepishly, “You say you have to go just beyond that road?”

“Just a few streets in, it’s very important.” 

“Alright, you should be fine, just be careful. It’s got potholes something awful I think.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

The road was faintly rough and the spray of gravel and asphalt crackled against the undercarriage of the car, but no more than a country road might be. 

“It seems fine.” Carrie said looking out at the pavement.

“Pull your hands in, I want to roll up the windows.”

**Twin Peaks, Washington ** **99153 - 8:43pm**

Even in Yellowstone, Carrie hadn’t considered the trees imposing. Something about these woods though, something about the way the trees glowered down at them, made her uneasy. Maybe it was the time of day. Maybe it was the weight of everything behind them. Then there was the something in the air she couldn’t put her finger on. Something like static. The air clung to her and every hair seemed to stand up on end. She did not mention this to Dale who she assumed was excited to finish their trip. There was no need to spoil it for him. 

She looked out the window for something remarkable. There were only trees.

“We’re nearly there now.”

Carrie assumed he was talking to her, but it sounded more like a personal reassurance. 

“It’s like the inside of one of those little car air fresheners out here,” she said still staring out the window for anything that could give her some meaning. She put her hand out the window to grasp at the night air.

“It’s the trees. Douglas Firs,” he said triumphantly. 

“Douglas Firs huh? I don’t think I’ve ever known a Douglas.” 

The road curved and, almost too quickly, there it was, a sign. Worn but clear.

“Welcome to Twin Peaks”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, as usual, to my fantastic beta who is so patient every time. Also yknow thanks to the organizers who keep this going and give me something Peaksy to look forward to every year! <3


End file.
